Dun Duh Dun DUH...Dun Duh Duh

Okay, you'll have to forgive the musical phonics--it's what my kids and I have been running around the house singing for, oh, the past month. I've mentioned before that one of the reasons I love writing for (and reading) Harlequin Americans is that we often get the chance to revisit characters and communities in follow-up books (such as I'll be doing in my 4 book "Mistletoe" series, shameless plug!or Cindi Myers did with her Crested Butte series and Holly Jacobs will be doing with her upcoming "American Dad" trilogy for HAR).

Anyway, with my predisposition for nostalgia and wanting to check in on beloved fictional characters, is it any surprise that I'm counting down the moments until my husband and I take our son to see Indy 4 this Saturday? I know, I know, Indy's a good bit older (as am I) but Harrison Ford has held up well. (Why can't we all age like him and, female counterpart in late-life gorgeousness, Helen Mirren?) I don't know that this will become my favorite Indiana Jones movie, but for me, part of the joy is reliving my own love for the character with my son. He's seen all three of the originals on DVD, but this will be his first Indiana experience on the big screen. My daughter, starting kindergarten in the fall, is too young in both age and temprament (she grosses out easily) to see the movie with us, but even she has caught Indy Excitement. I've been trying to write downstairs all week while two pairs of out-of-school kid feet tromp overhead. Shouts of "throw me the whip, no throw me the idol!" and "Snakes! I hate snakes" continue even after bedtime, when they become muttered to stuffed animals. Sadly, we only own one fedora, but we're working on that sharing concept.

I love sharing my lifelong interests with a new generation. The same applies with books, btw. Got a favorite story or character from your past? Have you shared it with a young person yet? It will be years before I let my daughter read some of the romance novels I've loved (or written!) but it was pure joy to read Judy Blume's Peter and Fudge books (with slight editing on the subject of Santa) to my kids and remember how much I laughed when I first heard the stories. We're just starting in on Chronicles of Narnia, but I may let narrator Jim Dale take over when it's time for Harry Potter. (The thought of reading thousands of pages aloud is daunting, especially with potential tongue-twisters like Severus Snape and Shrieking Shack.)

So what are some of your all-time favorite fictional people or animals?

Whatever your plans for the weekend, remember: the right hat and theme music can really make the adventure!